Third Abnormal Behavior
A third abnormal behaviour tigers can display is overgrooming and self mutilation. This is where an animal over grooms themselves leaving uneven fur and patches and occasionally bleeding this can lead to infections and in extreme cases death if the situation gets bad enough. We can tell the animal is performing this behaviour if it is repeatedly grooming itself, there may also be fur chunks on the enclosure floor and blood where it has been laying as well as visible damage to the tigers coat.
Both in the wild and in captive, tigers have to groom themselves to maintain cleanliness, however it is only when the grooming becomes excessive or put the animal’s welfare at risk that it is classed as an abnormal behaviour.
This type of behaviour can
be learned through sensitization. This is where repeated exposure to a stimulus enhances the response. Sensitization was first studies by Eric Kandel, an Austrian-American neuroscientist. In the 1960’s he conducted an experiment on the gill withdrawal reflex of the sea slug. To begin he habituated the reflex (see paragraph 2 of abnormal behaviours) and weakened the response by repeatedly touching the animal’s siphon. He then sent electrical impulses through the tail, near the siphon, causing the gill withdrawal response to appear; the gills withdraw to protect them. After a few rounds for this a light tough to the siphon caused a strong gill withdrawal response that lasted several days.
Overgrooming can be learnt through sensitization as if they’re given the same type of enrichment repeatedly it can cause them to lose interest and become bored. Overgrooming is also a way of tigers for show their frustration, therefore overgrooming can also occur if they are too isolated from others or is they become stressed due to lack for appropriate enrichment/stimulus or repetitive lifestyle.
To prevent this behaviour from forming places in charge of the welfare of tigers could provide some additional social enrichment for the animals or possibly move them into the same or closer enclosures. They could also provide some sensory enrichment possibly of another tiger to make them feel less isolated or of a prey’s scent to distract them. As well as this food based enrichment could also be used in some places to prolong the tiger’s feeding time, to keep them distracted. It may also work to change the feeding times daily to keep the animal alert for when food might arrive.
Both in the wild and in captive, tigers have to groom themselves to maintain cleanliness, however it is only when the grooming becomes excessive or put the animal’s welfare at risk that it is classed as an abnormal behaviour.
This type of behaviour can
be learned through sensitization. This is where repeated exposure to a stimulus enhances the response. Sensitization was first studies by Eric Kandel, an Austrian-American neuroscientist. In the 1960’s he conducted an experiment on the gill withdrawal reflex of the sea slug. To begin he habituated the reflex (see paragraph 2 of abnormal behaviours) and weakened the response by repeatedly touching the animal’s siphon. He then sent electrical impulses through the tail, near the siphon, causing the gill withdrawal response to appear; the gills withdraw to protect them. After a few rounds for this a light tough to the siphon caused a strong gill withdrawal response that lasted several days.
Overgrooming can be learnt through sensitization as if they’re given the same type of enrichment repeatedly it can cause them to lose interest and become bored. Overgrooming is also a way of tigers for show their frustration, therefore overgrooming can also occur if they are too isolated from others or is they become stressed due to lack for appropriate enrichment/stimulus or repetitive lifestyle.
To prevent this behaviour from forming places in charge of the welfare of tigers could provide some additional social enrichment for the animals or possibly move them into the same or closer enclosures. They could also provide some sensory enrichment possibly of another tiger to make them feel less isolated or of a prey’s scent to distract them. As well as this food based enrichment could also be used in some places to prolong the tiger’s feeding time, to keep them distracted. It may also work to change the feeding times daily to keep the animal alert for when food might arrive.